


Unwanted Publicity

by handschuhmaus



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alien color perception, Alien embroidery contests apparently, Crack, Fluff, Gen, Knitting, Sewing, With love to the EU, what is this even
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 10:19:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5371712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handschuhmaus/pseuds/handschuhmaus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes you really just DON'T want your abilities to be advertised. Thanks, hotshot pilot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unwanted Publicity

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't a speculative fic, per se, even though it's written with even less than the maximum knowledge available at this point to fans, rather it fits in an AU verse that I don't expect at all to happen, but like to think about. 
> 
> One aspect of this fic was inspired by a minor character in _Children of the Jedi_ but I'm pretty sure it's not actually him.

Poe Dameron was about useless with any piece of metal that was under approximately two millimeters wide and the base did not have a sewing machine handy, even if he could remember how to thread one (and he'd managed to mess up the bobbin in his uncle's almost every time he'd used it long ago). That was how it started. Well that and the fact that he was already sharing temporary quarters with this guy and had seen him neatly mend the newly acquired rip in his sleeve. He thought Finn had been a little worried about what he'd say, but sure enough working on the baby blanket squares for his cousin had been reassuring.

"So," he'd said, "we just finally got our insignia patches in and I am dreadful at sewing. D'you think you might be able to help me by doing it or...? I'll owe you one."

"Do you have a thimble?" Finn had asked warily, glancing at the two items that needed uniting.

"Yeah, somewhere in my sewing kit that I've never used."

"If you don't tell anyone I did it."

"It's fine. They're not going to make fun of you. It's perfectly great to be able to sew; I just constantly drop the needle and... well, that doesn't make for much progress."

"Nah," said the ex-stormtrooper, "it's not that. My dad--"and he paused for a second as if he'd not foreseen dealing with the emotional reference, but continued firmly, warding off any sadness, "actually won a ribbon for this great embroidery once, only he never would display the ribbon because, since the people that awarded it have different color-receptors than humans, they choose this horrible color for it...

"I just don't want to be badgered with requests, okay? You've been pretty good, and yeah you can owe me one, but I don't want to do this for everyone."

True to his implied skill, you couldn't even see the fine stitches securing his patch to Poe's jacket, until you looled on the inside. He was pretty proud of it, and his pride was only affirmed one day back at main headquarters when his moms were visiting and Mother asked him if he'd had help securing his patch.

"Yeah, but, uh, I can't tell you who did it, or he'd kill me."

Mom raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like a very good friend or tailor, Poe. Are you sure you should be associating with this person?"

He could hear snickering from behind him, from a member of another squadron who had sneered patronizingly at him when it had come out that he had two moms. He was promptly berated by his passing squad leader, and the rumor had it that she intently studied actuarial science texts while lifting in the gym every weekday, so Poe was not envious at all of his situation.

"And your hat, Dameron?" asked Phillips, who was part of his own squad.

"Oh, that, I made it myself."

"Are you gonna make one for everybody?" Phillips asked, looking concernedly at Poe's still worried Mom. 

"Yeah, Dameron, matching hats for the five of us! Etal doesn't get one."

"You going to make me a sweater?" Kai demanded, but was the last person in the building Poe would want to knit a sweater for because of his sheer height and breadth.

"I wouldn't mind a scarf for Life Day, if you happen to be knitting an extra one," said petite and cheery Vavilov, smiling her friendliest at him.

"Hold on a sec, I'm not going to knit everything for everybody, okay? Actually you'd be better off if I just taught you guys instead of me trying to do that."

"Would you?" Phillips asked, "My grandmother left me some of her stuff when she moved into an apartment cause she has arthritis anyway, and she showed me when I was little but I don't remember how."

"I might like to learn, yeah," Vavilov considered. "Can you send me a message about what needles I need?"

"Yeah, sure," he allowed.

"You're going to have your hands full," Mother remarked as they dispersed. She kissed Mom affectionately on the cheek as her wife sipped her hot cocoa again.

"I know. Finn was right."

"Who's he?" Mom asked with a wink. "I'm not about to go around spilling his sewing skills."

**Author's Note:**

> ~~I'm not sure if this came out as well as the original thought... but such is the life of the writer.~~


End file.
